Alabama LBs tell all about former teammate Reggie Ragland

We were able to catch up with Alabama linebackers Shaun Dion Hamilton and Rashaan Evans on Saturday at the NFL Combine.

We both had to get in a few questions about Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland who was teammates with both players at Alabama. These guys had some great things to say about Ragland as a teammate, mentor, and player.

SHAUN DION HAMILTON

Q: How is your health?

“I’m feeling really good. I am at about 85 percent out here. So I am not working out here, but I’m running and doing change of direction and stuff like that. I will work out for some teams at the end of March.”

Hamilton tore his ACL in the same knee twice in consecutive seasons. He also suffered a knee cap fracture along with the ACL in 2017.

Q: How was it not being able to play in the last two national title games? (injury)

“It was definitely tough, but I have faced adversity before and I wanted to be a good teammate and still be there. You gotta step it up and not think about myself and just help my team win championships.”

Q: The Kansas City Chiefs traded for Reggie Ragland in season. Were you guys friends at Alabama?

“You know, Reggie, yeah, I still talk to him from time to time. He checks up on me to see how I am doing and checks up on me during the season. He’s like a big brother to me and I feel like he’s in the right system now and I was glad to see him excel.”

Q: Has he offered you any advice about this process?

“He just told me that you can’t get caught up in all of the pre-draft stuff from the mock drafts. You just gotta work on yourself and work on your game. Do things that are going to better you as a player and a person. He shared a lot of stuff with me to help me get ready for this.”

Q: Do you have any stories about Reggie that you can share with me from your time at Alabama?

“Oh yeah I definitely do. I tell people this, but I still remember before when he was just Reggie. I had enrolled early and this was going into the spring and C.J. Mosley had just graduated. We were in a team meeting and coach (Nick) Saban was talking about how we were going to need guys to step up and things like this. Right then Reggie turned to me and said ‘I’m going to take C.J.’s spot and be the alpha dog’ and just two years later he’s a second-round draft pick and now he’s blowing up in the NFL.”

I love this story about Ragland because this is the type of mentality that he will need going into the 2018 season. He needs to have that same attitude about coming in and taking Derrick Johnson’s spot as he did with Mosley’s.

If Ragland’s time in college is any indication, he will find the same success in the NFL with the Chiefs.

Q: Have you interview with the Chiefs at all and would it be cool for you to rejoin Reggie in the NFL?

“No sir, I haven’t interviewed with the Chiefs yet, but if we’re given the chance to be reconnected, the skies would be the limit. I’m going to push him and hold him accountable and he’ll do the same thing for me.”

RASHAAN EVANS

Q: Talk about your position changes.

“Coach Saban really wanted to add more depth at the inside linebacker position. Originally I was outside linebacker so I eventually made the big move my junior year in the spring. Ever since then I’ve been playing inside linebacker. Coach Saban put a lot of time in me, getting some extra film work in. I was getting film in probably after each practice just to speed up the learning curve so I could play (ILB) in the fall.”

The Chiefs clearly value versatility. We’ve seen a few guys on the roster who can play both outside and inside linebacker spots (Frank Zombo and Ukeme Eligwe). So it will be interesting to see if the Chiefs want to add another similar skill set into the mix at either of those positions.

It’s also worth noting that Evans said he had a formal interview scheduled with the Chiefs.

Q: What was it like playing with Reggie Ragland in your early years?

“It was fun. Reggie Ragland was one of those guys that was a thumper — he always loved to play downhill and play fast. Playing with a guy like that always makes your game a lot better because you understand that you’ve got somebody who’s gonna lay it on the line. It just makes you want to play even faster.”

I like hearing that Ragland is a guy who will elevate the game of his teammates and make them want to play faster and harder. With the spot next to him being relatively open for the Chiefs, it’ll be good to know that whoever fills it will have the advantage of playing next to a guy who plays quick and hits hard.

Email

Like this article?

Sign up for the Chiefs Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You'll now receive the top Chiefs Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.